Tuesday, October 21, 2014

Countless studies
are now showing us, that through mental training the brain can permanently be altered,
a process now referred to as top-down plasticity (Begley, 2007).

Since my
undergraduate work was in Genetics and Molecular biology, I have
enthusiastically followed the epigenetics research, how environmental
conditions can play a significant role in whether you will or will not get a
specific disease – it’s not all in the genes, but rather in the gene expression.

Interestingly,
the brain is no different.Gene expression is turned on by novelty and surprise,
thus, deep meditation or hypnosis (a state of altered brain wave patterns) can
stimulate neurogenesis and the building of new neural pathways, hence, insight.

I guarantee
you've experienced this yourselves.You’ve
spaced out for a few minutes, when all of a sudden a brilliant insight pops
into your mind – that ‘spaced out’ feeling you experienced was a trance or
hypnotic state.As a matter of fact, the
average person moves through natural neural rhythms of arousal to relaxation 12
times a day.

Mindfulness,
deep meditation or hypnosis is a method to quickly induce the brain circuitry
for plasticity.PET scans show thought
during deep relaxation, the left pre frontal lobe is activated and the right
pre frontal lobe activity decreases.The
left pre-frontal lobe is associated with positive feelings, while the right
with anger and anxiety.

Using this
knowledge, experiments have been conducted on patients with anxiety, depression
and OCD, all showing significant improvement when mindfulness techniques were
included in treatment.

I’m a
sucker when it comes to positive genetic changes in the brain, and love meditation
but don’t have the time for it, nor do most of my patients – thus, my keen
interested in hypnotherapy. Almost finished my 100 hours training, and can’t
wait to start making positive change with my patients.

When fat cells become enlarged, their oxygen supply becomes inadequate, the cells begin to release hormones such as leptin – making you hungry and immune cells infiltrate, causing free fatty acids to be released into the body causing inflammation.Since we know that almost all chronic degenerate disease is in an inflammatory, acidic environment, this isn’t just a, on no, I have to loose a few pounds problem, this become as a serious health risk and its dubbed – SICK FAT.

Do you have sick fat?Consider your waist circumference to estimate your visceral or belly fat.Ideally, a waist circumference of < 70-75 cm in women and less than 75- 80 cm.

All you skinny people, don’t think you’re automatically off the hook.“skinny fat” was a term coined for those who are metabolically obese, but normal weight.So assessing actual fat levels is important for optimal health.

Why is this worth talking about.Because, it means that your body’s fat is making you sick, it’s changing the way your immune system is responding to stimuli and leaving you primed for illness.FAT cells release hormones (yup, its not just the brain or sex organs) which lead to this cycle of hunger, immune activation and increased fat.It even causes a reallocation of nutrients, so even though you may think you’re getting enough nutrients from your daily multi, they’re not going where you need them to, leaving you fat yet undernourished!

The good news – there is a way to stop the cycle.The link between gut health, inflammation and metabolic challenges is clear and resolvable.

Monday, March 24, 2014

On the way home from camping last summer we
stopped and bought the kids a treat to tide them over until we got home.My daughter threw her arms around me and said
“thank you thank you for buy me a treat mommy, thank you for paying for it and
not making me spend my money.” Why the
overwhelming gratitude?No, not because
she’s treat deprived – Samantha just started getting an allowance.

It all
started when she wanted to have a lemon aid and sell the juice at 5 cents a
glass.I tried to explain to her it
would cost me more than 5 cents to supply the glasses and lemon aid, “but if
it’s too expensive, people won’t buy it, so we need to make it cheap’ she told
me. I applauded my little entrepreneur’s
spirit but realized it was about time we taught her the value of money.She was also coveting a Lalaloopsy doll which
she was saving up for with her tooth fairy money – the time was right.

The book
Money Smart Kids by Gail van Oxladewas
recommended to me by a friend, I read it, liked the concept and decided to
implement it with my daughter just as she was finishing grade 1.The premise is by giving kids money and a set
of rules, they will develop lifelong habits on how to save and spend money, an
important lesson that in today’s consumer society, kids often don’t understand.It also gives them the opportunity to make
money mistakes, better now at age 6 than age 26.

My husband
balked when I told him Samantha was going to get $6 allowance a week, 1 dollar
per year.Yes, that seems like a lot,
but here’s the catch, we no longer can dole out money.Consider how much money you spend on your
kids, the treat at the grocery store, ice cream truck, school book fairs, pizza
day, class trips – it adds up.No more
dole (well, with only $6 a week sometimes you have to make an exception, i.e.
she’ll have to pay for only half the class trip). Shouldn’t she be earning her allowance?AccordingVax-Oxlade, the purpose
of this exercise is to,teach kids about
money, not make them do chores or show your control over them – I have the money,
I have the power kind of idea.Also, it’s
for a lot more than just fun money, they’ll be making some real decisions on
how the money will be spent.The $6
would be divided up – 10% long term savings, put towards University or a car,
5% charity, 45% planned spending (her Lalaloopsy doll or school trip) and the
remaining %40 her ‘mad money’ to be spend on ice cream, food at Wonderland,
book fair, Freezy Friday’s or whatever grabs her fancy.

The ice
cream truck went by our house a few weeks ago, not a common occurrence for us
and usually the kids are allowed to indulge on these special occasions.Samantha heard the truck, said, “Zacky,
there’s the ice cream truck but I’m out of mad money so we can’t get one’ she
didn’t even ask.We decided to go out
for dinner as a family last week, Samantha studied the menu hard, then quietly
asked me with a very concerned look on her face, “mommy, do I have to pay for
my own dinner”.? At $6 a week, not yet baby, not yet but soon.

It has been
amazing so far.Trips to the grocery
store, toy store, even the candy store no longer have her begging for a treat,
and she makes more of an effort to keep her room clean and help around the
house, even though it’s not a requirement for the allowance.After spending all her mad money at Canada’s
wonderland one week, she quietly watched as her baby brother got an ice cream
cone a few days later and she didn’t, a friend we were with asked her why she
wasn’t getting one and she calmly informed her that she was out of mad money,
she didn’t even ask.

So not only
is my daughter learning the value of money, but I’m actually being appreciated
when I do buy her something, thank you Gail Vax-Oxlade.

Tuesday, February 4, 2014

Serotonin
the body’s Happy Hormone is classified as a neurotransmitter and is what gives
you a feeling of wellbeing and overall happiness.As long as we have all the proper co-factors,
are absorbing our food properly and are not blocking the pathways by anti-nutrients,
we can make it.So the question is, do
you have what it takes?

Co Factors needed in the production
of Serotonin

1.To absorb protein, we need enough HCL (stomach acid) in the gut, which
needs a good supply of zinc, and B6 to be produced.

Anti-oxidants,
alcohol, smoking, medications such as the birth control bill and even over the counter
pain meds, pollutants are heavy metals can all leach these important nutrients
out of the body – leaving you feeling blue.

The Gut
Link

The gut
produces 2/3 of your body’s serotonin!No wonder there’s such a link to stomach inflammation disorders, anxiety
and depression.

Testing available:

1.Dysbiosis (inflammation due to
candida or other stomach overgrowth) - $20

Followers

About Me

I truly love what I do.
I love connecting with my patients, and investigating what I can do to
help them reach their health and life goals.

My goal is to identify the BEST treatment method for each
patient, I became a Naturopath not because I feel that ‘natural remedies’ are
the only way (although they usually are the best) but because it gives me a
wider scope of treatment modalities, so my patients and I can come up with the
BEST treatment for them to reach their goals.
Naturopathic doctors recently obtained prescription writes and I
recently wrote a grueling pharmacological prescribing exam, so yes, we have the
knowledge and some prescribing authority if we need to go that route too. To make true progress, all areas must be
addressed, nutrition, exercise, lifestyle, stress, mental and emotional states,
deficiencies, possible blockages – and only Naturopathic doctors have the
training, time and no-how to look at all area.

My Credentials:

Debbie is passionate
about helping people feel amazing, confident and full of energy. Combining her passions – fitness, naturopathy,
and neuroscience, Debbie has a clinical focus on ‘brain health’; with the
majority of her focus on anxiety, depression, pain management, anti-aging and
weight loss. Debbie educates, guides and motivates her patients to success in
feeling their best selves.

Dr. Debbie is a certified Naturopathic doctor,
hypnotherapist, and fitness instructor.
She studied meditation and Buddhism philosophy at Suan Mokkh Monastery in ChiayaThailand, holds annual Yoga and Mind body retreats with her
mentor and mother Wendy Schie, has taken courses in Mindfulness and is
currently working on a Mindfulness and Children’s program. She is an avid lecturer and motivational
speaker, has spoken at the Toronto Yoga show, Markham Thrive show, at numerous
corporate events in the GTA and medical lectures throughout Canada. She is co-founder and Director of
Naturopathic Living, a large multidisciplinary clinic in Markham, Ontario where
she lives with her husband and 2 children.

She was the 2015 winner
of the Markham’s Young entrepreneur ASPIRE award, (http://www.markhamreview.com/Aspiring-others).

Debbie earned her
Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Guelph in Genetics and
Molecular Biology.She worked in North
Carolina’s Research Triangle, as well as in Health Care Communication before
returning to Toronto to complete her studies at the Canadian College of Naturopathic
Medicine.She has studied in Europe and
uses German Medicine ideology in her practice.She is a member of the Markham Stouffville Hospital Leaders group,
Markham Board of Trade, Canadian Association of Naturopathic Medicine, Ontario
Association of Naturopathic medicine, the Unionville BIA, National Guild of
Hypnotherapists, Canadian Fitness Association, the 9th Markham
Guides, helps coach the under 8's Markham Rugby team and is on the Healthy school committee for her children’s
school where she is a regular volunteer.